What a month for Wisconsin Badgers football recruiting.
In a span of just about two weeks, UW has landed five commits for its class of 2018. West Bloomfield, Mich., wide receiver A.J. Abbott publicly announced on Friday night that he verbally committed to Wisconsin.
Rated a three-star recruit by Rivals—two stars by 247Sports and Scout—Abbott earned an offer two weekends ago from Wisconsin’s assistant coaches. According to BadgerBlitz.com, the 6’2, 180-pound wide receiver ran a sub-4.5-second 40-yard dash during UW’s camp.
That weekend also boasted visits from the likes of fellow Michigan prep recruits Jaylan Franklin, Michael Furtney, Reggie Pearson, and Taj Mustapha (his new teammate at West Bloomfield). All four are Wisconsin verbal commits for the class of 2018, with Franklin and Mustapha committing last Monday and this past Thursday, respectively.
According to BadgerBlitz.com’s Jon McNamara, Abbott told Wisconsin last weekend about his decision to play in Madison. That’s now five products from the Wolverine State for this current recruiting cycle.
Before picking up offers from Iowa and Purdue in the days following UW’s camp, Abbott told Scout.com that Wisconsin was a “dream offer” ($). After picking up a late offer from Michigan State last Saturday, he named a top three of the Badgers, Spartans, and Hawkeyes on June 19, with Minnesota also extending a scholarship opportunity earlier this week.
According to Rivals, he also received opportunities from Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, and Temple, among others.
With that sub-4.5 speed and a taller frame at 6’2, Abbott appears to be an underrated prospect that is now finally being noticed by Power Five programs. His Hudl film from Northville High School shows a player who had home-run ability and showcased the ability to make big plays in the passing game. Whether out on the edge or down the seam, the Michigan product has some intriguing intangibles.
With the talent pool that Wisconsin has offered at the position group in 2018 and the development of true freshmen Quintez Cephus and A.J. Taylor a year ago, trust wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore’s eye for talent.
Abbott is the 15th publicly-known commit for Wisconsin’s class of 2018 and the second at wide receiver.